13. Jake Gyllenhaal: Best Supporting Actor

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpXfcTF6iVk&w=584&h=390]

I had written off Jake Gyllenhaal in recent years, starring in a string of arty duds like Rendition, but Prisoners proves he isn’t all puppy eyes. With Denis Villeneuve, he’s found the Martin Scorsese to his Leonardo DiCaprio, bringing out a side of the actor you didn’t know he had in him. Gyllenhaal’s role is reminiscent of his performance in the similar Zodiac, but he’s much better here as a man fighting not only to find a missing girl but also battling her unstable father. The morality gets a little heavy-handed, but Gyllenhaal absolutely sells it.